Vietnam’s shift from a centrally planned to a market economy has transformed the country from one of the poorest in the world into a lower middle-income country. Vietnam now is one of the most dynamic emerging countries in East Asia region.
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This report presents the results of a
novel study on land transparency in Vietnam; a study that
focuses on the actual provision of information related to
land. This... Show More + study was produced as part of the Vietnam
Transparency Project, an effort to systematically measure
transparency, provide actionable advice on how to improve
transparency, and analyze the causes and effects of
transparency in Vietnam. If a country's political,
economic, and social system was a human body, access to
information would be the nervous system. Just as the nervous
system tells the brain where we are, where we are going,
whether we are tired or injured or hungry or thirsty, flows
of information help ensure that decisions are made
efficiently and that resources are used productively and
fairly. Information helps ensure that the organizations that
make up the body politic are performing as instructed, that
decisions reflect the pains and pleasures of the people whom
the state serves. Coupling with economic strides, Vietnam
has made impressive progress in opening up flows of
information over recent decades. Internet penetration has
grown rapidly, and citizens have more access to global and
national news than ever before. Transparency of decision
making by the state has also expanded. From the publishing
of budgets and fiscal information, to draft laws, to
televised sessions of the National Assembly, there is no
doubt that Vietnam is a more transparent place than in
decades past. The same holds true for land management, with
successive legal changes gradually expanding the scope of
information that is declared to be public information. At
the same time, citizens and firms continue to report having
difficulty finding the information they need, and problems
such as corruption and the misuse and waste of resources
continue to constrain Vietnams progress. In the area of
land management, surveys of the perceptions of citizens and
firms point to limited implementation of the land
transparency rules that do exist. Many experts have
highlighted the need for Vietnam to greatly expand
transparency in the next phase of modernizing its institutions. Show Less -

Ratings for the Second Multi-Donor Trust
Fund (MDTF2) for Public Financial Management Modernization
Project for Vietnam were as follows: outcomes were
moderately satisfactory,... Show More + the risk to development outcome was
moderate, the Bank performance was moderately satisfactory,
and the Borrower performance was also moderately
satisfactory. Some lessons learned included: MDTF2 was
restructured after about two and haft years of slow
implementation so as to fit it into the new reality and to
keep it running at difficult times. The task team, from the
design stage, already envisioned a flexible mechanism in
adjusting the scope and result framework over the course of
implementation. The restructuring helped sharpen the
project's focus and better articulated its role in the
Government overall PFM reforms. Appropriate restructuring,
as shown in this case of MDTF, attributed to accelerating
the political momentum for reforms on the MOF side that in
turn led to successful completion of the project by the end
of 2013. This innovative approach to project management
provided tangible incentives and accountability for the
beneficiaries to deliver. It is worth noting, however, that
the delegation by itself could not guarantee success.
Rather, it had to be conducted in tandem with: (1)
appropriate institutional arrangement whereby the Project
Management Unit or PMU retained its role as coordinator,
facilitator, and supervisor; and (2) enhanced frequency and
efficacy of communication among the Bank task team, or PMU,
and implementing agencies. For future Technical Assistance,
or TA operation, it will be desirable to define at the
design stage a few selected key areas of strategic focus for
support while keeping a small part of the program open to
respond to newly identified priorities and adjust for
changes in the pace of on-going reforms. Show Less -

This study is funded by the Governance
Partnership Facility to better understand country
experiences with building monitoring and evaluation
(M&E) capacity to identify... Show More + paths to success and
obstacles to reform. For every country, whether recently
emerging from conflict, low-income, or Organization for
Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), M&E is
critical to evidence-based policymaking, budget decisions,
management, and accountability, all elements of good
governance. Building M&E capacity in fragile and
conflict-affected states is not a well-documented topic,
although analysts generally agree that even in these
challenging contexts, countries can set up monitoring
capabilities, albeit with heavy donor support. This study
aims to strengthen the knowledge base by synthesizing and
comparing the experiences of Rwanda, Vietnam, and Yemen in
building capacity for their recently established M&E
systems. The study also draws comparisons with Mexico's
more well-developed M&E system. This paper is directed
to policymakers, development workers, donors, and other
supporters of M&E research, operations, and activities.
The author envision that providing country case studies on
implementing M&E programs in difficult circumstances
will contribute to a South-South knowledge exchange for key
stakeholders who are working to advance newly established
M&E systems in their own countries. Show Less -

Vietnam has come far in improving fiscal
transparency. Building on these gains could help strengthen
macroeconomic management, improve market perceptions of
risk, and... Show More + increase accountability for service delivery.
Fiscal transparency is an important element of the
Government's policy dialogue with development partners,
particularly in the context of ongoing budgetary support.
External reviews of PFM and fiscal transparency in Vietnam
have noted important progress though highlighted
considerable scope for improvement. This report aims to
complement ongoing PFM reviews, including the
Government's Public Expenditure and Financial
Accountability (PEFA) assessment, to help identify
relatively low cost measures to strengthen fiscal
transparency. It draws on existing diagnostic approaches to
carry out a technical review on the public availability of
fiscal information (section B), and the coverage,
comprehensiveness and presentation of fiscal reports
(sections C and D). Show Less -

Ratings for the Public Financial
Management Reform Project for Vietnam were as follows:
outcomes were moderately satisfactory, risk to development
outcome was negligible... Show More + to low, Bank performance was
moderately satisfactory, and Borrower performance was
satisfactory. Some lessons learned included: the timeframe
for the project needs to be realistic so that unnecessary
extensions of the closing date can be avoided. For smooth
implementation, close coordination and contact between the
donors, including the Bank and the Government are important.
It is necessary for the government to come up with measures
to motivate the staff to be committed to pilot projects.
Providing assistance and knowledge transfer by international
and national consultants to the project management unit
(PMU) as well as the ministry of finance (MOF) leadership
giving to the PMU strong and timely guidance, support and
directions will empower it to make timely procurement
decisions. Bank team received important constructive and
innovative advice and clearance from regional procurement
management (RPM) for the design of project procurement
arrangements and subsequent bidding process for treasury and
budget management information system (TABMIS) contract.
Strong and sustained commitment of the government leadership
is critical to the success of a project. Availability of
specialized information technology (IT) expertise within the
Bank project team is critically important to assure the
quality of design and supervision of the projects that
support development of complex IT systems. Continuity of the
core team working on the project, both from the Bank side
and the government side, is very important for the success
of a project. For big system implementation with a turnkey
contract like TABMIS, it is necessary to clearly mandate the
contractor's responsibility in training and knowledge
transfer to government staff to ensure good system operation
and administration well before the contract ends and help
the government to own and master the system right after
taking over from the contractor. Show Less -

The proposed Results-Based National
Urban Development Program in the Northern Mountains Region
(RBNUDP-NM or the Program) will assist the Government of
Vietnam in... Show More + developing the implementation framework for its
national urban program. It will do this by piloting a
performance-based transfer system that will provide
participating cities with a combination of much needed
resources along with a clarification of implementation
responsibilities, a results-based orientation, improved
planning and a strengthening of oversight and accountability
through audits and verification activities. The Program
Development Objective is to strengthen the capacity of
participating Northern Mountains cities to plan, implement
and sustain urban infrastructure. The World Banks
Program-for-Results lending instrument is to be used for
this operation. The Program targets the following seven
cities Dien Bien Phu, Bac Kan, Cao Bang, Thai Nguyen, Hoa
Binh, Tuyen Quang and Yen Bai. Show Less -

The proposed Results-Based National
Urban Development Program in the Northern Mountains Region
(RBNUDP-NM or the Program) will assist the Government of
Vietnam in... Show More + developing the implementation framework for its
national urban program. It will do this by piloting a
performance-based transfer system that will provide
participating cities with a combination of much needed
resources along with a clarification of implementation
responsibilities, a results-based orientation, improved
planning and a strengthening of oversight and accountability
through audits and verification activities. The Program
Development Objective is to strengthen the capacity of
participating Northern Mountains cities to plan, implement
and sustain urban infrastructure. The World Banks
Program-for-Results lending instrument is to be used for
this operation. The Program targets the following seven
cities Dien Bien Phu, Bac Kan, Cao Bang, Thai Nguyen, Hoa
Binh, Tuyen Quang and Yen Bai. Show Less -

This Policy Note is designed to inform
the Government of Vietnam and National Assembly (notably the
Committee on Finance and Budgetary Affairs, CFBA)
discussions on... Show More + the revision of the State Budget Law (SBL)
(2002) by drawing on good international practices in budget
management. It is part of the World Banks ongoing policy
dialogue with and advice to the Government and the National
Assembly on revisions to the SBL (2002). The SBL (2002) has
provided a strong basis for regulating Public Finance
Management (PFM) in Vietnam since 2004, when the Law became
effective. It has helped the government to allocate and
spend public resources in an effective manner, thereby
contributing to delivery of important public service
outcomes. The SBL (2002), however, needs to be revised to
enhance Vietnams fiscal regulatory framework and
accountability. The Policy Note covers seven broad areas
including: (i) the coverage and layout of the SBL (2002);
(ii) the budget framework for fiscal policy making; (iii)
budget approval processes at the National Assembly and
Provincial Peoples Councils; (iv) specific budget
classification and definition issues; (v) intergovernmental
fiscal relations; (vi) budget execution, accounting,
reporting and audit; and (vii) extra-budgetary activities.
The issues in the Policy Note were prioritized based on
earlier discussions with representatives from the
Government, National Assembly, and local authorities, and
views expressed at the CFBA and United Nations international
conference on SBL (2002) revision held in Ninh Binh at the
end of September 2013. Show Less -

The development objective of the Vietnam
Industrial Pollution Management Project (VIPMP) is to
improve environmental compliance of industrial zones (IZs)
on a pilot... Show More + basis. Some of the negative and mitigation
measures include: (i) for loss of agricultural land,
affected households were offered cash compensation; (ii) for
affected structures, losses were paid at replacement cost;
(iii) for affected residential land, households were offered
one of two options, cash compensation or land-for-land in
the resettlement site. The households requiring relocation
were provided with rental housing costs, until the
finalization of the resettlement site construction scheduled
for the end of 2012; and (iv) affected households have been
provided with support, assistance and allowances as part of
the compensation plans, according to the Government of
Vietnam (GoV) norms and regulations, consisting of transport
allowances, living stabilization allowance, vocational
training allowance, house renting allowance, and special
allowances for those who fall under the category of poor and
vulnerable affected people. Show Less -

The Government of Vietnam is looking for
ways to make Vietnam's cities better places in which
poor and vulnerable families can live and work. This guide
is based on... Show More + the studies and other sources, so that the most
important information and key topics can be easily used. It
gives a quick understanding of the problems of cities and
the difficulties the poor and vulnerable residents have in
obtaining housing, city services, and better living
conditions. It shows the way through the process and options
and sets out principles for key decisions about what agenda
of actions will best meet the needs of the urban poor in Vietnam. Show Less -

Vietnam has made progress to improve
oversight and control over cash balances for the state
budget. The current arrangement however falls short of a
treasury single... Show More + account (TSA), which has led to
inefficiencies in the management of cash balances and higher
than necessary borrowing costs. In response to this, the
Government of Vietnam has embarked on reforms to adopt a TSA
and strengthen overall cash management. This policy note
provides a review of progress in implementing a TSA system
in Vietnam, the remaining challenges and obstacles, and how
to overcome these for further TSA and cash management
reforms. It is the product of ongoing discussions between
the World Bank and the Ministry of Finance. Part A gives
background and motivation; part B provides an overview of
the state treasury system in Vietnam; part C reviews the
progress in establishing a TSA, including against benchmarks
of international good practice, and makes recommendations
for priority next steps; and part D concludes with a review
of cash management functions. Show Less -

A fundamental challenge for Vietnam is
to improve the affordability and efficiency of
infrastructure investment. The fragmentation of public
infrastructure investment... Show More + results in duplication and waste,
and is a major underlying cause of investment inefficiency.
Bond issuance has been the most prominent form of debt
financing at the sub-national level. At the provincial
level, significant disconnects exist between total planned
investment needs in infrastructure, and the effective demand
for such investment. The success of any initiative to
improve the financing of municipal infrastructure in Vietnam
hinges on advances in the broader landscape of policy reform
as part of the country's long-term development. Meeting
these challenges requires a comprehensive approach that
addresses issues of governance, financing, and execution.
This report has been formulated with the objective of
informing the Government of Vietnam (GOV) on how the
financing framework for municipal infrastructure in the
country can be strengthened. It is based on an assessment of
the constraints and opportunities that sub-national
governments face in accessing financing for infrastructure
development. It also draws upon lessons and good practices
from international experience in this area, considering
their relevance for Vietnam. A set of recommendations and
implementable actions is provided, recognizing the broader
context of ongoing reforms that are needed on institutions,
incentives and the availability of information. Show Less -

The objective of the Road Asset
Management Project for Vietnam is to cultivate sustainable
road asset management practices by developing a national
road asset management... Show More + system, to build the capacity of
Vietnam's road agencies to manage road assets, and to
demonstrate sustainable maintenance practices on selected
road sections. Negative impacts include: loss of
agricultural and residential land, impact on structures,
damage to crops and trees, and loss of income and business.
Mitigation measures include: (1) providing cash compensation
for acquired land at 100 percent replacement cost; (2)
providing allowances due to relocation of house; (3)
providing compensation to Displaced People (DPs) currently
in cultivation at the market price of crops and trees or at
the replacement cost of damaged crops and trees; (4)
providing a support equal to 70 percent of the basic salary
for permanent laborers for economic establishments,
production, and households; and (5) providing assistance
with seeds or improved young animals, agricultural extension
training, services, plant protection or veterinary services,
technical assistance for business or non-farm production. Show Less -

The objective of the Road Asset
Management Project for Vietnam is to cultivate sustainable
road asset management practices by developing a national
road asset management... Show More + system, to build the capacity of
Vietnam's road agencies to manage road assets, and to
demonstrate sustainable maintenance practices on selected
road sections. Negative impacts include: loss of
agricultural and residential land, impact on structures,
damage to crops and trees, and loss of income and business.
Mitigation measures include: (1) providing cash compensation
for acquired land at 100 percent replacement cost; (2)
providing allowances due to relocation of house; (3)
providing compensation to Displaced People (DPs) currently
in cultivation at the market price of crops and trees or at
the replacement cost of damaged crops and trees; (4)
providing a support equal to 70 percent of the basic salary
for permanent laborers for economic establishments,
production, and households; and (5) providing assistance
with seeds or improved young animals, agricultural extension
training, services, plant protection or veterinary services,
technical assistance for business or non-farm production. Show Less -